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Download Classroom Posters of Essential Questions for each unit:
Download as a PDF
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Download as a PDF

Download Grade 6 Essential Understandings

and Prior/Introduced/Mastered Vocabulary for each unit:




McKelvie Science Weblinks



Grade 6: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Inquiry Task #1: For your grade / course, identify the "generic" inquiry-based skills you currently employ with your students.

What is Inquiry-Based Science? Download document and refer to page #4
Main Categories:NECAP Science Schema for Assessing Scientific Inquiry (with DOK levels for constructs) Broad Areas of Inquiry to be Assessed I. Formulating Questions & Hypothesizing II. Planning and Critiquing of Investigations III. Conducting Investigations IV. Developing and Evaluating V. Explanations



Inquiry Task #2: List the units that currently are taught in which inquiry skills appear.

Process Skills Unit: Bottle Rockets (I-V), Independent Investigation (I-V), Loupe Activities (I-V)
  • Identifying and controlling variables, formulating questions, making predictions, making observations, designing investigations/experiments, recording data, forming conclusions

Chemistry & Matter: Reaction in a Bag (law of conservation of matter), Density Labs

Astronomy: Reasons for Seasons Labs (What happens if the tilt is changed? Does the distance matter? In what positions do the earth moon and sun need to be for eclipses to happen?)

Forces, Motion & Energy: Balloon Cars, Roller Coasters (Roller Coaster Variables), iMovies & Glogs to show real life examples of forces happening
  • Identifying and controlling variables, formulating questions, making predictions, making observations, designing investigations/experiments, recording data, forming conclusions

Circulatory & Respiratory Systems: O2/CO2 Cycle, Systems/Effect on a system portion.

Rocky Shore Ecology: What if? Chains/Web effect on the system. "Hold On" Activity







Inquiry/Engineering Task #3: Brain-storm ideas for how your current units or activities can be made more inquiry and engineering based.